Despite repeated lies from Gonzales, Bush says he stays

March 20, 2007

Washington, D.C. - President Bush called attorney general Alberto Gonzales Tuesday morning to reassure him of his support despite the repeated lies and "half-truths" coming from his office.

President Bush called attorney general Alberto Gonzales Tuesday morning to reassure him of his support despite the repeated lies and half-truths coming from his office.

White House press secretary Tony Snow said the president called Alberto Gonzales from the Oval Office around 7:15 a.m to "reaffirm his strong backing" of the attorney general.

Gonzales has come under fire for how the firings of at least seven U.S. attorneys were carried out, and many have called for his resignation. The White House has steadfastly claimed that the president has full confidence in Gonzales.

Meanwhile, the first batch of the 3,000 pages of documents released shed light on the highly controversial process which led to the firings and the tangled, shifting explanations for the dismissals, which have created a political firestorm on Capitol Hill.

Snow called the release of the documents "unprecedented" and "fully responsive" to requests by Capitol Hill, and said that Justice Department officials were being made available for voluntary testimony on the matter.

Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee say the Bush administration needs to be more honest about the White House's role in the dismissals of eight federal prosecutors.

Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont said "I want testimony under oath. I am sick and tired of getting half-truths on this."